They did plenty of things really well in the game - here’s a thread 🧵 looking at what they did. A short analysis 👇
Here’s a move they executed early in the 2nd half. They did a really good job of restricting the game to one half off the pitch
Down the left they were especially potent as it’s where Elliot Lee was most active
They look to use the channels, something Sheff Utd had real trouble defending
The threat of Tozer’s set pieces put SU on edge when defending, making it easier for Wrexham to play their game in these lateral zones
The Blades didn’t help themselves with their poor pitch coverage, but credit must go to Parkinson for exploiting this
They hit this wide channel and win a throw, which ultimately leads to a goal
They win the throw down this left channel, and these long throws are so hard to defend
Not only is the delivery flat and consistent, but the nature of the set pieces gives a massive advantage to Wrexham
Another thing I wanted to highlight was how Wrexham’s shape changed once they picked up their injuries
The main change was Young entering the 6 role. Normally I prefer him as an 8, but his energy put SU on the back foot
Here’s the shape they traditionally hold. Young is usually to the right of the 3, but takes up the space that TOC usually occupies, maintaining their usual structure
However due to his pressing instincts and energy Young drives forwards, pressuring the ball and inverting the shape
SU couldn’t have prepared for Young in the 6, and this undoubtedly put them on the back foot. They can’t match his energy
Wrexham pinned SU back for the majority of the half. As I mentioned earlier, their best work came down the left, where Lee was able to roam
The threat of his in swinging crosses pins men back. Tbf SU don’t help themselves at all
Even in the first half Wrexham did a lot of good work, again using just one lateral zone rather than playing across the whole pitch
They also broke the lines with ease. They judged the space brilliantly and were able to hit forwards first time
The direct play was especially effective because Mullin was having an excellent game
He managed to isolate himself 1 on 1 with defenders, which made for extremely effective play
The front 2 deserve a lot of credit. They won every battle, got the right side of every ball and worked extremely hard
They were crucial for the game. They made everything tick, and deserve so much credit
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🆕🧵A few days ago #oafc added midfielder Mark Shelton to their ranks
At 26 he’s just entering his prime, but the Nottingham born lad has plenty of experience at this level already, having won promotion from this division on 2 occasions
Here’s a thread on Oldham’s new signing
Shelton is a box to box midfielder, one who contributes to both phases of play. He’s energetic, and often starts moves from the base of midfield, before building through the phases of play. Here he continues his run, providing a foil by making a run to the front post
Here’s another perfect example of Shelton building from the back, being involved in the continuation of play at all stages. He makes strong runs into space, constantly making himself available for passes. His strong physicality allows him to make driving runs
A comfortable win for the Magpies. Not as much to analyse but it’s great to see a slight shift from the Yeovil game
Credit to Notts and Scunthorpe for the footage
The first goal comes from something I identified in my Yeovil post match thread; the long diagonal. It stretches a low block, creating space for the likes of Castro and Rodrigues as their defence can’t shift across. Having a player of Baldwin’s quality makes it possible
The finish is also superb - takes it first time and is so cool with it. Quevin is our best striker of the ball, but this is a different technique, and he executes it so well. He also does what we needed to do against Yeovil - shoot first time to catch them out
The first thing I noticed is Cook has the freedom to step out of defence. Scunny are reluctant to press, and don’t seem to have the team shape to prevent these runs from deep. Cameron should have no difficulty stepping out of defence and progressing the ball
One area we have to be careful with is the high line. Their goal against Wealdstone comes from a clever run in behind. However, we do tend to hold a higher line than this; either Slocombe would sweep up or one of our CBs would have the required recovery pace to get back